Gemma Dryburgh believes there will “eventually” be a women’s professional event at Augusta National, but predicted that it won’t happen during her playing career.
The Scot tees it up at the AIG Women’s Open this week at the world famous Old Course at St Andrews, where Lorena Ochoa in 2007 and Stacy Lewis in 2013 won the previous two stagings.
Much has been spoken about on the potential for the world’s best female golfers to one day play a ‘women’s’ Masters, with the Augusta course being on par with the Old Course and Pebble Beach, venue for the 2023 US Women’s Open, as some of golf’s most famous layouts.
“I always think that we will get there eventually,” Dryburgh said of a potential women’s Masters.
“I don’t think it will be when I’m still playing; that’s my prediction. But it would be great to have a women’s professional event there.
“It’s obviously a nice step in the right direction that we’ve got an amateur event there now but yeah would I love to see a professional event there.”
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was established in 2019
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The Augusta National Women’s Amateur was founded in 2019 and has an impressive list of winners already in just five stagings. Major winner Jennifer Kupcho triumphed in the inaugural tournament, with Rose Zhang winning in 2023 before sealing the NCAA Division 1 title and then emerging victorious in her pro debut on the LPGA Tour.
England’s Lottie Woad, the current World No.1-ranked amateur, prevailed in 2024 after birdieing three of the final four holes.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley this year suggested that there are currently no plans to introduce a Women’s Masters, however.
“There are some fundamental difficulties in that,” he explained.
Fred Ridley admitted to “fundamental difficulties” with staging a women’s Masters
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“We happily were able to find a way to have a competition for juniors and a competition for women amateurs sort of wrapped around the Masters tournament, and it just seems to fit really well.
“To have another tournament of any kind would be very difficult based on our season, based on the fact that this is essentially a winter and spring golf course. It’s not open in the summer. It doesn’t play the way we want it to play in the fall for a major tournament. We…
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